Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a fixation module and a printing apparatus using the same, and more particularly to a fixation module with a separation claw detecting mechanism, and a printing apparatus using the fixation module.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus, such as a printer or a copier, achieves rapid printing and copying effects by way of laser scanning. The image forming apparatus performs a fixation process on toners on a sheet using a fixation module composed of a heater roller and a pressure roller to fix the toners onto the sheet. Then, a transporting mechanism transports the sheet to a discharge tray. In general, the sheet tends to jam at the fixation module and cannot be smoothly transported. A conventional solution is to dispose a sensor downstream of the fixation module. If the sheet does not pass through the sensor at the predetermined timing, or the sensor is triggered, the system judges the situation as paper jam, and stops transporting the sheet so that the user can perform the maintenance or eliminate the problem. However, such the solution encounters some problems because the image forming apparatus cannot always precisely obtain when the sheet should pass through the sensor, and cannot distinguish whether the paper jam has been eliminated. If the paper jam occurs at another place, the system still cannot precisely determine where the problem occurs.
In another solution, after the paper jam occurs downstream of the fixation module, the sheet repeatedly accumulated in the sheet passage pushes the separation claw on the fixation module, so that the mechanism of the separation claw is moved and outputs the warning signal of paper jam. In this solution, only the paper jam condition downstream of the fixation module can be detected, the paper jam occurred on the fixation module cannot be detected, and the sheet jamming must be accumulated to a predetermined extent so that the mechanism of the separation claw can be pushed. Thus, in the accumulating process, another sheet may also be transported and processed, so that the multi-paper jam condition occurs, and the sheet usage is wasted.